Railroad time-signal



(Io llodel.) I 1 R. T. BOWNE. RAILROAD TIME SIGNAL.

PatentedOct. 20, 1896.

INVENTEIFQ.

WITNEEEEE! I ATTUHNEY.

ROBERT T. BOIVNE, OF \VIMBLEDON,

PATENT OFFICE.

MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN WILSON BROIVN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

RAILROAD TIME-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,953, dated October 20, 1896.

Application filed March 31, 1896- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT T. BoWNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Win1 bledon, in the county of Harford and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Time-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in railroad time-signals adapted to indicate to to the engineer of a passing train the fact that a certain interval of time has elapsed since a preceding train passed in the same direction, in order that he may keep his train the proper distance from the said preceding train and thereby avoid rear collision.

The object of the invention is to provide a signal of the semaphore type which will be automatically set to the danger position by the wheels of a passing train, and which will slowly recede to the safety position in a predetermined period of time. To this end I have provided certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation view of a portion of a track, the sign al-post, box, and arm arranged alongside the track, and the intervening mechanism whereby a car passing along the 0 track will automatically operate the signalarni. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the signal-box, showing the mechanism therein and the signal-arm in the horizontal or danger position. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the 3 5 signal-box and adjoining parts, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. etis a section view, 011 an enlarged scale, of the horizontal section of the air-pipe containing the check-valve and nozzle for the escape of air. Fig. 5 is a side 0 View of a track-rail, the compression-bar, and

the air-supplying chamber connected therewith.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A represents a post or tower located alongside of the track-rails 13. Parallel with and abutting against one of said rails is a compressionbar O, which is elevated or raised at its cenfor d above the track-rail in position to be depressed by the tread of a car-Wheel passing over it. Below the track-rail and under this bar is a box E, containing an air-supplying Serial No. 585,590. (No model.)

device F, which is connected to the center of the compression-bar by a rod g, and leading from the bottom of this air-supplying device is a small air-conducting pipe h. The depression of the bar O by a car-wheel will cause the air-forcing device F to be compressed and the air therein will be forced through the said air-conducting pipe, a checkvalve h in said pipe preventing the return of the air. On the post or tower A is a box or housing I, containing anexpansion air-chamber having upper and lower headsjj, of inflexible material, and a bellows-like bag of suitable flexible material, between the heads. The lower head j is seated on an angle-plate or bracket 7a 011' one side wall of the box, and the upper head 3' is provided with a guiderod Z, movable vertically through an opening in another angle-plate l. Two slide-rods m are rigidly attached to the said upper head j and move loosely through openings in the flanges of the lower head j, and a cross-piece m connects the lower ends of these sliderods, thus forming a slide-frame. By this construction it will be understood that the lower head j of the air-expansion chamber does not move, but that the upper headj and the slide-frame are vertically movable in order to allow for expansion and contraction of the air-chamber.

The air-pipe 71 has a horizontal upper part h provided with a T-joint, connecting with a branch pipe 12., which opens into the airchamber j through its bottom head j. The air forced by the air-chamber F will thus be conducted by the pipe h to the expansionchamber 9' and cause its upper head j and the slide-frame to move vertically until the flexible bag is expanded to its fullest extent. The horizontal upper part of the air-pipe It also has a check-valve 0, which opens to allow air to pass to the expansion-chamberfi, but closes to prevent the air from returning back into the pipe, and a nozzle 19 has a small passage open to the atmosphere to allow the air in the chamber 3' to escape slowly. This passage is controlled by a plug-valve p, which may be set so as to increase or diminish the cross-section capacity of the passage through which the air escapes, so that the time for totally exhausting the. air from said expan- ICO sion-chamber may be varied from one to ten minutes.

The semaphore or signal arm Q has a weighted end Q, and is fixed to the outer end of a rock-shaft 0*, which passes through the post A into the box I. On the inner end of this shaft and within the box is a pulley s. A chain t has one end connected to the said pulley, on which it winds, and the other to a hook it on the slide'frame.

The operation is as follows: Normally the expansion-ehamberj is collapsed, as in Fig. 1, and then the signal-arm is at safety position. hen by a passing train the chamberj is filled with air and the sliding frame moves upward, the chaint will draw on the pulley s and unwind therefrom and cause it to make a quarter-revolution, and the signalarm will thereby be turned to the horizontal or danger position, as shown in Fig. 2. The air in the chamberj will then begin to escape very slowly through the nozzle 19 and allow the greater gravity of the weighted end Q of the signal-arm to gradually return said arm to the vertical or safety position, as in Fig.1. The time within which the signalarm will move from the danger position to safety position may be regulated by the valve 1) and may be increasedor diminished as circumstances require.

It is obvious the pulley might be a section of a wheel instead of a complete wheel; also a cord or wire may be used instead of a chain.

Having thus described my invention, I elai1n In a railroad-signal the combination of a flexible bellows-like bag having an upper and lower head; a vertically-n1ovable slide-frame having two side rods, m, rigidly attached to the said upper head and the lower ends of said rods connected by across-piece, m; a rockshaft carrying a signal-arm, Q, provided with a counterweight; a pulley on said rock-shaft; and a chain. connecting the said verticallymovable frame and pulley, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT T. BOlVNE.

Vi tnesses:

CHARLES E. MANN, J12, O. CALVERT HINES. 

